Combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system

ABSTRACT

A combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system having a first point-of-sale system, having a checkout manager and one or more checkout terminals, and a second point-of-sale system, having a fuel center and one or more fuel pumps, in communication with each other and with one or more primary databases containing marketing data, consumer data, customer data, master sales data, discount data, and merchandise product data, for generating a fuel discount at the second point-of-sale system based on first purchasing activity at the first point-of-sale system and/or second purchasing activity at said second point-of-sale system. The fuel discount is maintained for each customer in one of said primary databases and is based on a total purchase of products, a total purchase of product units, a total purchase amount of a product type, time period for total purchase of products, or a tiered spending amount.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to a system and method for thediscount pricing of merchandise and fuel, and in particular, to a systemand method having an in-store point-of-sale system communicate with afuel center point-of-sale system to create a combined point-of-salesystem that provides fuel discount pricing.

2. Related Art

Systems and methods exist for correlating a customer's purchases in agrocery store with the purchase of fuel at an affiliated fuel center.Typically, customers earn a fuel discount at the affiliated fuel centeraccording to an amount of money spent on purchasing products in thegrocery store itself. The awarded fuel discount is typically calculatedas a discount, or savings, per unit (gallon) of fuel. These systems keeptrack of a customer's awarded fuel discount through the use of acustomer loyalty card. Thus, a customer presents his/her loyalty cardwhen making a purchase in the grocery store wherein the store recordsthe purchase and calculates any earned fuel discount. Subsequently, whenpurchasing fuel at an affiliated fuel center (gas station), upon thepresentation of the same customer loyalty card the customer is given thecurrent fuel discount he/she has been awarded previously, therebyreducing the price of the fuel being purchased.

Typically, the existing fuel discount schemes are very limiting. First,they are restricted to a customer only making purchases in the grocerystore itself. There is not a provision for the customer to earn, orcontribute to, a fuel discount with purchases made at the fuel centeritself.

Second, the existing fuel discount schemes are very basic in theircalculation. That is, as the customer makes multiple purchases, thesystem determines whether the customer is entitled to a fuel discountbased on that purchase. If the customer does qualify for a fuel discountthrough his/her current purchase, then the newly awarded discount isadded to the existing fuel discount. Thus, the current discount schemesonly provide for the aggregation of sequentially earned fuel discounts.

Third, there is no current system providing for the use of gift cards inthe purchase of fuel. Gift cards are commonplace in various stores, suchas Toys R Us and Walmart. In these stores, a customer purchases andactivates a gift card for any amount he/she wants wherein the activatedgift card may be used for subsequent purchases made in any of theaffiliated store. Upon presentation of an active gift card for thepurchase of products, the store's system debits the gift card by theamount of the purchase. In the current application of a grocery storebeing connected to and in communication with an affiliated fuel center,there is no existing method or system for using a gift card in thepurchase of fuel.

Therefore, there is a need for a combined in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale system that generates fuel discounts based on purchasesmade either in the store or an affiliated fuel center, that generates afuel discount based on alternative purchasing habits of a customer andnot just on sums total spent in the store, and that accepts and managesthe use of gift cards for the purchase of fuel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problems associated with the prior artby providing a combination in-store and fuel center point-of-salesystem. A first point-of-sale system is an in-store POS system, such asa grocery store, having a central in-store checkout center connected toat least one checkout terminal or register and a sale informationdatabase. The in-store POS system is connected to the corporateheadquarters which maintains one or more primary databases containing,but not limited to, marketing data, consumer data, customer data, mastersales data, discount data, and merchandise product data. A secondpoint-of-sale system is a fuel center POS system, such as fuel servicecenter, having a central fuel center connected to at least one fuelpump. The fuel center POS system is connected to the in-store POS systemsuch that the fuel center is functionally equivalent to a checkoutterminal. The fuel center POS system also has at least one secondarydatabase containing fuel center data for maintaining data on the variousproduct and fuel transactions made.

The headquarters contains a target manager for maintaining informationon frequent customers to its stores. In addition, the target managermanages the available fuel discounts and calculates when a customer iseligible to receive a fuel discount. Fuel discounts are based on thecustomer's purchases made either at an in-store POS system or at a fuelcenter POS system.

In the present invention, there are five embodiments of a fuel discountwhich are awarded to a customer as a reduction, or discount, of a unitof fuel. A fuel discount is based on: total purchases, tiered purchasessuch that the more a customer spends the greater the fuel discount,total number of units of a specific product or type of productpurchased, total amount spent on a specific type of product purchased,or total purchases made within a defined time period.

Another aspect of the present invention is the use of a gift card at thefuel center POS system wherein a gift card may be used to purchaseproducts and/or fuel at the fuel center POS system. The management ofactive gift cards and the use thereof is handled by a third-party giftcard payment system such as a bank. The fuel center of the fuel centerPOS system communicates with the gift card payment system to retrieveand update the available balance on a given gift card, wherein the giftcard payment system maintains a gift card database on all gift cardaccounts. A customer may purchase and activate a gift card at a fuelcenter, as well as, reload the balance, receive a refund, perform abalance inquiry, and use the gift card to purchase products and/or fuelat the fuel center. At a fuel pump, a customer may perform a balanceinquiry and/or purchase fuel using the gift card.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit(s) of areference number identifies the drawings in which the reference numberfirst appears.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the physical relationship between anin-store system and a fuel center point-of-sale system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the communication paths between thesoftware subsystems controlling the in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale systems;

FIG. 3 is an operational flow diagram showing a checkout terminal of anin-store POS system processing a customer's purchase of products;

FIG. 4 is an operational flow diagram showing a pump of a fuel centerPOS system processing a customer's purchase of fuel;

FIG. 5 is an operational flow diagram showing a fuel center of a fuelcenter POS system processing a customer's purchase of fuel and products;

FIG. 6 is an operational flow diagram showing the target manager'sprocessing of a customer's purchase of fuel and/or products;

FIG. 7 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of a firsttype of fuel discount;

FIG. 8 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of asecond type of fuel discount;

FIG. 9 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of a thirdtype of fuel discount;

FIG. 10 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of afourth type of fuel discount;

FIG. 11 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of afifth type of fuel discount;

FIG. 12 is an operational flow diagram showing a fuel center of the fuelcenter system processing a gift card; and

FIG. 13 is an operational flow diagram showing a pump of the fuel centersystem processing a gift card.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A. System Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention showing the physicalrelationship between an in-store point-of-sale (POS) system 116 and afuel center POS system 118. An in-store POS system 116 has an in-storecheckout center 104 connected to one or more checkout terminals 106 a-c.The in-store POS system 116 is shown having three checkout terminals 106a-c, but that is for convenience purpose only. It would be readilyapparent for an in-store POS system 116 to have any number of checkoutterminals 106 a-c. In the preferred embodiment, the in-store POS system116 is the main hardware/software system for a grocery store wherein thecheckout terminals 106 are the individual electronic cash registersconnected to a main hub—the in-store checkout center 104. Thus, eachcheckout terminal 106 exchanges purchased products information to thein-store checkout center 104 on each transaction, or on each purchasemade by a customer. Purchased products information includes, but is notlimited to, customer identifying information (if known, such as name andaccount number), and the name, type (product category, such as,pharmaceutical, meat, dairy, beverage, etc.), and price for eachpurchased product.

Also in the in-store POS system 116, the in-store checkout center 104 isconnected to headquarters 102 such that headquarters 102 and thein-store checkout center 104 share information. For convenience,headquarters 102 is shown as being connected to only one in-storecheckout center 104, but this is for convenience. Headquarters 102 caneasily be connected to multiple in-store checkout centers 104, each ofwhich is functionally equivalent. An example of this structure is thein-store checkout center 104 being a specific grocery store and theheadquarters 104 being a corporate center managing multiple such grocerystores. Thus, the headquarters 102 has a central hardware/softwaresystem for communicating to multiple in-store checkout centers 104 orindividual stores. The headquarters 102 is responsible for coordinatinginventory, pricing and discounts between the different in-store checkoutcenters 104, as well as, for collecting, analyzing, and providingcustomer, marketing, and demographic information for the individualin-store checkout centers 104.

A fuel center POS system 118 is also connected to and in communicationwith the in-store POS system 116. The fuel center POS system 118 has afuel center 110 connected to one or more fuel pumps 114 a-c. The fuelcenter POS system 118 is shown having three pumps 114 a-c, but that isfor convenience purpose only. It would be readily apparent for a fuelcenter POS system 118 to have any number of fuel pumps 114 a-c. In thepreferred embodiment, the fuel center POS system 118 is the mainhardware/software system for managing the fuel station affiliated with aspecific grocery store wherein the pumps 114 are the individual fueldispensing machines connected to the main fuel center 110. Typically,the fuel center POS system 110 is in physical proximity to the in-storePOS system 116, such as in the front parking lot.

In operation, each pump 114 a-c exchanges purchased fuel information tothe fuel center 110 on each transaction, or on each purchase of fuelmade by a customer, at a pump 114. Purchased fuel information includes,but is not limited to, customer identifying information (if known, suchas name and account number) and the quantity, type, and price of fuelfor each purchase. The fuel center 110 stores the information as well assends all purchased fuel information to the in-store checkout center 104of the in-store POS system 116. Thus, the fuel center POS system 118functions as another checkout terminal 106 as far as the in-storecheckout center 104 is concerned.

In the preferred embodiment, the fuel center POS system 116 alsocommunicates with a gift card payment system 112 which is a third partyentity, such as a bank, that manages the issuance, activation, and useof a gift card directed to the purchase of fuel. A gift card of thepresent invention is a conventional magnetic card having a magneticstrip or a smart card with a memory chip which contains either anavailable dollar amount or a link to an account specifying an availabledollar amount.

Also in the present invention is an electronic payment host 108 which isa third party entity, such as a credit card processing center. Both thein-store POS system 116 and the fuel center POS system 118 communicatewith the electronic payment host 108 and exchange payment informationwhen a customer is paying for fuel and/or products with a bank card or acredit card. Alternatively, in another embodiment, only the in-store POSsystem 116 communicates with the electronic payment host 108 such thatthe fuel center POS system 118 communicates with the electronic paymenthost 108 through the in-store POS system 116.

Specifically, if a customer is paying for products at a checkoutterminal 106, paying for fuel at a pump 114, or paying for products andfuel at a fuel center 110 with a bank or credit card, the respectivein-store checkout center 104 or fuel center 110 sends electronic paymentinformation to the electronic payment host 108 in order to receiveauthorization to accept such payment from the customer. Electronicpayment information is retrieved from a customer's card in theconventional way by reading the customer's name and account from thecard via a magnetic strip reading device. Once the electronic paymenthost 108 sends back authorization for the purchase to the in-storecheckout center 104 or fuel center 110, the purchase is completed andconfirmation of the transaction is made.

Similar to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the communicationpaths between the software subsystems or programs of the in-store POSsystem 116 and the fuel center POS system 118. Regarding the in-storePOS system 116, a check-out manager 202 is a software program forhandling the functionality of the in-store checkout center 104, whereasa terminal handler 206 is a software program for handling thetransactions made on a specific checkout terminal 106 a-c. Thus, thecheckout manager 202 exchanges purchase and sales data with eachterminal handler 206—one for each checkout terminal 106 a-c. Also, thecheckout manager 202 stores sales information, as well as, otherinformation such as inventory data, etc., in a sales informationdatabase 204.

In the preferred embodiment, the checkout manager 202, terminal handlers206, and sales information database 204 are connected together andoperate as a Local Area Network (LAN). A LAN is a computer networkcovering a local geographic area such as all of the computer hardwaredevices located within a grocery store. A typical LAN may use acombination of different network architectures and infrastructuresincluding, but not limited to, wireless Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11(x) standard)and Ethernet (IEEE 802.3 standard—wired and fiberoptic) networks. Itwould be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant artto implement the in-store POS system 116 as a LAN.

Also, the in-store POS system 116 employs a commercially availablehardware and software system that has been customized according to thefeatures and aspects of the present invention described herein. In thepreferred embodiment, the in-store POS system 116 uses a supermarketapplication by International Business Machines, Inc. (IBM). For example,IBM offers an IBM SurePOS ACE for 4690 operating system as well as a4680-4690 Supermarket Application. Therefore, the in-store checkoutcenter 104, checkout manager 202, checkout terminals 106, and terminalhandlers 206 use the IBM hardware and software system for communicationand operation of the in-store POS system 116. It would be readilyapparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to modify andcustomize the IBM system to operate and function as in the presentinvention.

The headquarters 102 executes, among others, two software programs,target manager 208 and market manager 210, which are connected via a LANand are used to manage information in one or more primary databases.These programs may be software or a database tool capable of evaluating,manipulating, or inspecting data that is stored either locally on aserver or remotely. In the preferred embodiment, the target manager 208is a database management system, such as Target Expert sold by ValassisRelationship Marketing Systems, LLC of Shelton Conn., and the marketmanager 210 also is a database analysis or manipulation system, such asMarket Expert sold by Valassis Relationship Marketing System. Inaddition, the IBM ACE system discussed above processes all electronicmarketing and Target Expert messaging, including customer loyalty cardnumbers.

In the preferred embodiment, the primary databases are a discountdatabase 212, a customer database 214, a marketing database 216, and amaster sales database 218. The use of four separate databases is forconvenience. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe relevant art to implement the headquarters 102 using any number ofdatabases that contain marketing data, consumer data, customer data,master sales data, discount data, and merchandise product data. Thediscount database 218 preferably contains information on the discountand promotional schemes currently available to customers of the in-storePOS system 116 and the fuel center POS system 118. That is, the discountdatabase 218 contains the minimum and maximum spending thresholds toearn a fuel discount, the number of products or type of products neededto be purchased for a fuel discount, the time period and minimumspending threshold for earning a fuel discount, and the pre-defined fueldiscount associated with each such available discount scheme. Thecustomer database 214 preferably contains information on each of suchcustomers, including, but not limited to, customer identification, name,address, account number, purchase history, demographic information, andsimilar data items. The marketing database 216 preferably containsinformation on product sales history, demographic information, long-termcustomers, and historical information on marketing plans. The mastersales database 218 preferably contains sales information for eachin-store checkout center 104, merchandise and products information, andpurchasing trends.

The checkout manager 202 for a given store is connected to the targetmanager 208 and market manager 210 at headquarters 102 via a Wide AreaNetwork (WAN) due to the possibility that the different stores, orin-store POS systems 116, are typically located far from theheadquarters 102. A WAN typically covers a wide geographic area withlarge numbers of computers. The Internet is an example of a WAN. Also, aWAN network may be comprised of a number of separate LANs networkedtogether over external network interfaces, including virtual tunnelssuch as Virtual Private Networks (VPN) constructed through a publicmedium such as the Internet.

Similar to the in-store POS system 116, the fuel center POS system 118has a fuel center sales manager 224 which is a software program forhandling the functionality of the fuel center 110, whereas a pumphandler 228 is a software program for handling the transactions made ona specific fuel pump 114 a-c. Thus, the fuel center sales manager 228exchanges fuel purchases with each pump handler 228—one for each pump114 a-c. The fuel center sales manager 224 stores fuel sales informationin a fuel center database 226. In addition, a customer may purchaseproducts in the fuel center 110 which often offers for sale varioussundry items, such as, snacks, beverages, tobacco products, toiletries,etc. Thus, the fuel center sales manager 224 stores the salesinformation for these purchased products, along with inventoryinformation and the like, also in the fuel center database 226.

The fuel center POS system 118 employs a commercially available hardwareand software system that has been customized according to the featuresand aspects of the present invention described herein. In the preferredembodiment, the fuel center POS system 118 uses a fuel center system byRadiant Systems (Radiant). For example, Radiant offers a Radiant FuelPOS (a Lighthouse solution) for grocery and high-volume retailers.Therefore, the fuel center 110 and fuel center sales manager 224 use theRadiant hardware and software system for communication and operation ofthe fuel center POS system 118. In addition, IBM and Radiant have teamedtogether so that the Radiant system at the fuel center 110 iscompatible, regarding communications and operations, with the IBM systemat the in-store checkout center 104. The preferred embodiment of thepresent invention uses available Dresser-Wayne fuel pumps which alsohave been modified and customized to operate as described herein. Itwould be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant artto modify and customize the Radiant system and Dresser-Wayne fuel pumpsto operate and function as in the present invention.

The fuel center sales manager 224 of the fuel center POS system 118 isconnected to the checkout manager 202 of the in-store POS system 116 aspart of a WAN or LAN network. As discussed above, the fuel center salesmanager 224 functionally operates as a terminal handler 206 such thatthe fuel center sales manager 224 sends the checkout manager 202 reportson the sales transactions of the fuel center POS system 118 similar tosuch reports from a terminal handler 206 to the checkout manager 202.The reports contains information on each sales transaction made eitherat a pump 114 or at the fuel center 110, including, customer identifyinginformation (if any), product information (bar code, type, number,price, etc.), fuel quantity and price, and any applied discount.

The fuel center sales manager 224 is also connected via a WAN to a giftcard payment handler 230 of a gift card payment system 112. The giftcard payment handler 230 is a software program managing the activationand use of a gift card. The gift card payment handler 230 maintainsinformation on both available and activated cards in a gift carddatabase 232.

Operationally, a customer may activate a gift card at a fuel center 110by purchasing the gift card and activating it with an initial amount offunds. The gift card may then be used to purchase fuel at a pump 114 orto purchase products and fuel at a fuel center 110. For all gift cardtransactions, the fuel center sales manager 224 communicates with thegift card payment handler 230 to oversee the use of the gift card and tomaintain a current balance available on the gift card in the gift carddatabase 232.

Both the checkout manager 202 of the in-store POS system 116 and thefuel center sales manager 224 of the fuel center POS system 118 areconnected to and communicate with an electronic payment handler 220 ofan electronic payment host 108. The electronic payment handler 220 isconnected to the checkout manager 202 or fuel center sales manager 224through a WAN. The electronic payment handler 220 is a software programthat handles the processing of a credit or bank card payment. Therefore,when a customer at a checkout terminal 106, a pump 114, or a fuel center224 wants to use a credit or bank card for paying for products and/orfuel, the checkout manager 202 or fuel center sales manager 224communicates with the electronic payment handler 220 to complete such atransaction. Specifically, the checkout manager 202 or fuel center salesmanager 224 provides account information and a payment total to theelectronic payment handler 220. The electronic payment handler 220accesses a customer account database 222 to determine if the requestedtransaction is allowable, such as the customers card is valid and/or thecustomer is not exceeding a maximum credit limit with the requestedpurchase. If the transaction is approved, the electronic payment handler220 sends an approval to the requesting checkout manager 202 or fuelcenter sales manager 224, as well as, records the transaction in thecustomer account database 222. In an alternative embodiment, the fuelcenter sales manager 224 is not directly connected to the electronicpayment handler 220, but rather communicates with the electronic paymenthandler 220 via the checkout manager 202.

B. System Operation

FIG. 3 is an operational flow diagram of a terminal handler 206 of acheckout terminal 106 of an in-store POS system 116 for processing acustomer's purchase of products in a store. Processing begins at either302 directed to reading a customer's loyalty card or step 306 directedto the customer selecting one or more products for purchase andpresenting them for purchase. A customer loyalty card is preferably acard having a magnetic strip containing customer identifying informationsuch as a name and account number. The headquarters 102 for the in-storePOS system 116 uses customer loyalty cards as a means for trackingregular customers and their purchasing preferences and trends, as wellas, for creating and offering various product and fuel discounts. Instep 302, the customer presents his/her loyalty card for reading whichis read by conventional means using a bar code reader, a magnetic stripreader, or a digital image reader. Continuing to step 304, the terminalhandler 206 validates the customer loyalty card by conventional means,including, exchanging the customer identifying information contained onthe customer loyalty card with the checkout manager 202. The checkoutmanager 202 may confirm the validation of the presented loyalty card byaccessing a local database, such as the sales information database 204.Alternatively, the checkout manager 202 exchanges such information withthe target manager 208 at headquarters 102 wherein the target manager208 accesses a customer database 214 to validate the customer loyaltycard. A customer loyalty card is validated by retrieving a databaserecord corresponding to the account number on the presented card, thenverifying that the database record has a data field indicating that thecard is valid and/or active. The validation information is sent back tothe terminal handler 206. Once the customer loyalty card is validated,processing proceeds to step 310.

Returning to step 306, a customer presents one or more products forpurchase at the checkout terminal 106. The terminal handler 206 scans inthe bar code, or otherwise enters the price, for each selected productand, proceeding to step 308, calculates a total cost for all suchselected products. Once a total is calculated, processing proceeds tostep 310.

It should be noted that a customer may present his/her customer loyaltycard at any time during the purchasing process. Once a customer enters avalid customer loyalty card, any discount pricing on a purchased productmay be shown at the time of presenting the product for purchase, or atthe end of all purchased products when the terminal handler 206 iscalculating a total price owed. Also, to calculate the total price, foreach selected product the terminal handler 206 queries the checkoutmanager 202 which provides a regular price and a discounted price basedon the product purchased and customer information via the salesinformation database 204 and potentially the target manager 208 andmarket manager 210.

After the customer is presented with a total price for the purchasedproducts, processing continues to step 310 wherein the customer submitspayment to the terminal handler 206. Payment may be in the form of cash,check, or a gift, credit or bank card, or a combination thereof. Theterminal handler 206 processes the customer's payment by conventionalmeans. However, if the customer submits payment by a credit or bankcard, the terminal handler 206 submits the payment request, includingthe customer's card/account number, type of card, card's sponsoringinstitution (bank name), and the total purchase amount, to the checkoutmanager 202. The checkout manager 202 in turn submits the paymentrequest to the electronic payment handler 220. Accessing the customeraccount database 222, the electronic payment handler 220 determineswhether to authorize the payment request as discussed above. Theelectronic payment handler 220 returns an authorization code to thecheckout manager 202 which in turn passes the authorization code to therequesting terminal handler 206. Alternatively, the checkout manager 202handles the entire payment request with the electronic payment handler220 and returns to the requesting terminal handler 206 an image of areceipt for printing.

After receiving payment for the purchased products, the terminal handler206 continues to step 312 wherein it reports information on the list ofpurchased products to headquarters 102. Specifically, the terminalhandler 206 forwards the purchased products information to the checkoutmanager 202 which stores the purchase information in the salesinformation database 204, as well as, forwards the same information tothe target manager 208 and market manager 210. The target manager 208parses the information and stores it in various primary databases, suchas the customer database 214 and master sales database 218. The targetmanager 208 also uses the received information to determine whether thecurrent customer who purchased the products is eligible for a fueldiscount. The processing of the target manager 208 is discussed in moredetail below with respect to FIG. 6. The target manager 208 also sends anotice back to the checkout manager 202 whether the current customer hasreceived a fuel discount due to the current purchase. The checkoutmanager 202 forwards this information to the terminal handler 206 tonotify the customer.

The terminal handler 206 then proceeds to step 314 wherein it prints thecustomer a receipt for the purchase. The bottom of the receipt containsa notice stating whether the customer has received a fuel discount andif so, contains the details of that fuel discount in terms of a discountper unit (gallon) of fuel. The terminal handler's 206 processing of thecurrent customer is then complete.

FIG. 4 is an operational flow diagram for a pump handler 228 of a pump114 processing a customer's purchase of fuel at that pump 114.Processing begins at 402 directed to reading a customer's loyalty card.After reading the customer loyalty card, processing continues to step404 wherein the pump handler 228 validates the card. The pump handler228 processes a customer loyalty card in the same manner as discussedabove in step 304 with the only difference being that the pump handler228 communicates with the checkout manager 202 via the fuel center salesmanager 224. Once the customer loyalty card is validated, processingproceeds to step 406.

After the pump handler 228 validates the customer loyalty card, the pumphandler 228 communicates with the target manager 208 to retrieve thehighest fuel discount available to the current customer. In thepreferred embodiment, the pump handler 228 receives the available fueldiscount at the same time it receives the validation of the customerloyalty card such that the discount information (discount per unit orgallon of fuel) is contained in the same customer data record.Alternatively, the pump handler 228 may access the fuel center salesmanager 224 a second time requesting the fuel discount information forthe current customer. The fuel center sales manager 224 communicateswith the target manager 208 at headquarters 102 via the checkout manager202 in the in-store POS system 116.

In addition, for each customer, the target manager 208 maintains a listof earned fuel discounts. That is, a customer earns a separate fueldiscount based on certain purchases, the details of which are describedbelow. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, the target manager 208returns the highest fuel discount contained in a customer's list ofavailable fuel discounts. This ensures that a customer always receivesthe lowest available price for fuel at a fuel center POS system 118.

After the pump handler 208 receives the fuel discount, processingcontinues to step 410 wherein the pump handler 208 applies the discountto the amount of fuel being purchased in step 408. That is, in step 408,the customer accesses the pump 114 in a conventional manner and pumpsgas into his/her vehicle or approved fuel container. Therefore, in step410, the pump handler 228 applies the fuel discount to the gas beingpumped by the customer in step 408. In the preferred embodiment, thediscount is applied immediately to the pumped gas such that the priceshown on the display at the pump 114 reflects the discounted price. Oncethe customer is finished pumping gas, processing proceeds to step 412 atwhich time the pump handler 228 displays the total purchase price owedfor the pumped fuel. Alternatively, if the customer presents a validcustomer loyalty card at the end of the purchase of fuel, the pumphandler 228 retrieves the available fuel discount as described above andthen applies that fuel discount to the amount of pumped fuel, therebygenerating a discounted balance owed.

Processing continues to step 310 wherein the customer pays for thepumped gas at the pump 114. The pump handler 228 processes thecustomer's payment for fuel at the pump 114 by either gift, credit orbank card in the same manner as described above with respect to theterminal handler 206. However, when paying at the pump 114, the pumphandler 228 communicates with the electronic payment handler 220 via thefuel center sales manager 224. Specifically, the pump handler 228submits the payment request, including the customer's card/accountnumber, type of card, card's sponsoring institution (bank name), and thetotal purchase amount, to the fuel center sales manager 224 which inturn submits the payment request to the electronic payment handler 220or a gift card payment handler 230 described in detail below. Accessingthe customer account database 222, the electronic payment handler 220determines whether to authorize the payment request as discussed above.The electronic payment handler 220 returns an authorization code to thefuel center sales manager 224 which passes the authorization code to therequesting pump handler 228. Alternatively, as discussed above withrespect to the checkout manager 202, the fuel center sales manager 224may handle the entire transaction internally and simply send an image ofa receipt to the pump handler 228 for printing.

After receiving payment for the purchased fuel, the pump handler 228continues to step 414 wherein it reports information on the purchasedfuel to headquarters 102. Specifically, the pump handler 228 forwardsthe purchased fuel information to the fuel center sales manager 224which stores the information in the fuel center database 226, as wellas, forwards the same information to the checkout manager 202.Alternatively, upon receipt of payment, the fuel center sales manager224 reports the purchase of fuel to headquarters 102. The checkoutmanager 202 records the information in its sales information database204 as well as passes the information to the target manager 208 andmarket manager 210 at headquarters 102. The target manager 208 parsesthe information and stores it in various primary databases, such as thecustomer database 214, master sales database 218, and marketing database216. Regarding the customer database 214, the target manager 208 recordsthe fact that the customer used a fuel discount, thereby updating thecustomer's account to reflect the current purchase of fuel. Theprocessing of the target manager 208 is discussed in more detail belowwith respect to FIG. 6.

The pump handler 228 then proceeds to step 416 wherein it prints thecustomer a receipt for the fuel purchased. The pump handler's 228processing of the current customer's purchase of fuel at the pump 114 isthen complete.

FIG. 5 is an operational flow diagram showing a fuel center salesmanager 224 of a fuel center 110 processing a customer's purchase offuel and products. Processing begins at 502 directed to reading acustomer's loyalty card. After reading the customer loyalty card,processing continues to step 504 wherein the fuel center sales manager224 validates the card. The fuel center sales manager 224 processes acustomer loyalty card in the same manner as discussed above in steps304, 404 with the only difference being that the fuel center salesmanager 224 communicates directly with the checkout manager 202. Oncethe customer loyalty card is validated, processing proceeds to step 508.

After the fuel center sales manager 224 validates the customer loyaltycard, the fuel center sales manager 224 retrieves the highest fueldiscount available to the current customer. In the preferred embodiment,and as described above, the fuel center sales manager 224 preferablyreceives the available fuel discount at the same time it receives thevalidation of the customer loyalty card such that the discountinformation (discount per unit or gallon of fuel) is contained in thesame data record. Alternatively, the fuel center sales manager 224 maycommunicate with headquarters 102 a second time requesting the fueldiscount information. The fuel center sales manager 224 communicateswith headquarters 102 via the checkout manager 202 in the in-store POSsystem 116. Also, as discussed, the returned fuel discount is thehighest fuel discount in the customer's list of available fueldiscounts.

After the fuel center sales manager 224 receives the fuel discount,processing continues to step 510 wherein the fuel center sales manager224 applies the discount to the amount of fuel being purchased in step506. That is, in step 506, the customer accesses the pump 114 in aconventional manner and pumps gas into his/her vehicle or approved fuelcontainer wherein the non-discounted price of fuel is shown on the pump114. Therefore, in step 510, the fuel center sales manager 224 appliesthe fuel discount to the gas being pumped by the customer in step 506.

Alternatively, and in the preferred embodiment, the customer may alsopresent his/her customer loyalty card at the pump 114, see FIG. 4, suchthat the fuel discount is applied immediately to the pumped gas suchthat the price shown on the display at the pump 114 reflects thediscounted price. Regardless, once the customer is finished pumping gas,processing proceeds to step 514.

Similar to the processing of FIG. 3, in step 512 a customer presents oneor more products for purchase at the fuel center 110. The fuel centersales manager 224 scans in the bar code, or otherwise enters the price,for each selected product and proceeds to step 514.

It should be noted that a customer may present his/her customer loyaltycard at any time during the purchasing process at the fuel center 110either at the pump 114 and/or at the fuel center 110. Also, once acustomer enters a valid customer loyalty card, any discount pricing on apurchased product may be shown at the time of presenting the product forpurchase, or summarized when the fuel center sales manager 224 iscalculating a total price owed. Similarly, upon the presentation of avalid customer loyalty card, even after the purchased products and fuelare totaled, the fuel center sales manager 224 may reduce the price ofthe pumped fuel according to the received fuel discount. A fueldiscount, however, may only be used once.

In step 514, the fuel center sales manager 224 calculates a total costfor all such selected products as well as the pumped fuel taking intoaccount the fuel discount received from the target manager 208 as wellas any available product discounts. Once a total is calculated,processing proceeds to step 516 at which time the fuel center salesmanager 224 displays the total purchase price owed for the purchasedproducts and the pumped fuel.

Processing continues to step 310 wherein the customer pays for thepurchased products and the pumped gas at the pump 114. Because thecustomer is paying at the fuel center 110 and not at a pump 114, paymentmay be in the form of cash, check, or a gift, credit or bank card. Thefuel center sales manager 224 processes the customer's payment byconventional means. However, if the customer submits payment by a creditor bank card, the fuel center sales manager 224 submits the paymentrequest, including the customer's card/account number, type of card,card's sponsoring institution (bank name), and the total purchaseamount, to the electronic payment host 108 as described above.

After receiving payment for the purchased products and fuel, the fuelcenter sales manager 224 continues to step 518 wherein it reportsinformation on the purchased products and fuel to headquarters 102.Specifically, the fuel center sales manager 224 stores the purchasedproducts and fuel information in the fuel center database 226, as wellas, forwards the same information to the checkout manager 202 of thein-store POS system 116. The checkout manager 202 records theinformation in its sales information database 204 as well as passes theinformation to the target manager 208 and market manager 210 atheadquarters 102 in the same manner as described above. The targetmanager 208 parses the information and stores it in various primarydatabases, such as the customer database 214, master sales database 218,and marketing database 218. Regarding the customer database 214, thetarget manager 208 records the fact that the customer used a fueldiscount, thereby updating the customer's account to reflect the currentpurchase. The processing of the target manager 208 is discussed in moredetail below with respect to FIG. 6.

The fuel center sales manager 224 then proceeds to step 520 wherein itprints the customer a receipt for the products and fuel purchase. Thefuel center sales manager 224 processing of the current customer'spurchase of products and fuel at the fuel center 110 is then complete.

FIG. 6 is an operational flow diagram showing a target manager 208processing a customer's purchase of fuel and/or products. Processingbegins at step 602 wherein the target manager 208 receives informationon purchased products and/or fuel from the checkout manager 202.Specifically, this step is initiated by either step 312 from theterminal handler 206 (customer purchases one or more products at acheckout terminal 106), step 414 from a pump handler 228 (customerpurchases fuel at a pump 114), or step 518 from a fuel center salesmanager 224 (customer purchases fuel and/or products at a fuel center110). Upon receipt of the purchase information, processing proceeds tostep 604.

In step 604, the target manager 208 determines whether any fuel waspurchased. If no fuel was purchased, processing continues to step 608wherein the target manager 208 processes the purchased products todetermine whether a fuel discount should be given to the customer. Iffuel was purchased, processing continues from step 604 to step 606wherein the target manager 208 processes any fuel discount used by thecustomer in the instant purchase. In step 606, the target manager 208parses the purchased products and fuel information and determineswhether a fuel discount was used during the customer's purchase of fuel.If it was, then the target manager 208 updates the customer database 214to reflect the use of the fuel discount. If no fuel discount was usedduring the instant purchase, the target manager 208 proceeds to step608.

In the preferred embodiment, a customer accumulates multiple fueldiscounts such that each earned fuel discount is stored in a list ofavailable fuel discounts in the customer's record in the customerdatabase 214. Thus, the target manager 208 removes the used fueldiscount entry from the customer's list of available fuel discounts. Itis important to note that each earned fuel discount is only used once bya customer.

In step 608, the target manager 208 determines whether the instantpurchase of products satisfies the criteria for awarding the customer afuel discount. There are several different methods for calculating andawarding a fuel discount. The different fuel discount schemes aredescribed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 7-11. Afterprocessing the purchased products for a fuel discount, the targetmanager 208 continues to step 610 wherein any changes to the customersrecord is saved in the customer database 214.

FIG. 7 is an operation flow diagram showing the calculation of a firsttype of fuel discount. In this embodiment, a customer is awarded a fueldiscount once he or she has achieved a predefined spending threshold.Thus, the customer qualifies for the discount when spending a totalamount in the store. Starting at step 702, the target manager 208receives the purchased products information. Continuing to step 704, thetarget manager 208 determines whether the total purchase amount of allthe purchased products is greater than or equal to a minimum thresholdamount. If the minimum threshold has been met, then the customer isawarded a fuel discount quantified in terms of a pre-defined discountper unit of fuel. For example, if a customer spends $30.00 in total, heor she earns a $0.03 per gallon fuel discount.

There are also two variations of this fuel discount scheme. That is, inone embodiment, the total purchase amount may be calculated as the totalamount that the customer spent in the instant transaction only. Thus,the customer must have spent the minimum threshold amount in onetransaction. In this embodiment, the target manager 208 simply comparesthe total purchase amount received from the checkout manager 202 for thegiven customer for the given transaction to the minimum thresholdamount. Alternatively, in a second embodiment, the total purchase amountis the aggregate amount spent by the customer in all of the customer'stransactions either at the in-store POS system 116 or the fuel centerPOS system 118. Thus, the customer must have spent the minimum thresholdamount as calculated by adding the instant transaction total to theprevious amounts spent by the customer in all previous transactions. Thetarget manager 208 simply adds the instant total purchase amountreceived from the checkout manager 202 for the given customer to arunning total of all purchases made by the customer (as stored in thecustomer database 214 in the customer's record) to generate an aggregatetotal purchase amount. Then, the target manager 208 compares theaggregate total purchase amount to the minimum threshold amount.

In step 704, if the target manager 208 determines that the minimumthreshold amount has not been reached, processing proceeds to step 708wherein the fuel discount processing is terminated. Return again to step704, if the total purchase amount is greater than or equal to theminimum amount, processing proceeds to step 706. In step 706, the fueldiscount is recorded for the associated customer account. That is, thetarget manager 208 records the awarded pre-defined fuel discount in thecustomer database 214 for the instant customer. Specifically, the newlyearned fuel discount is stored in the customer's list of available fueldiscounts. Thus, when the same customer wants to purchase fuel at a fuelcenter POS system 118 and presents his/her customer loyalty card, thefuel center POS system 118 retrieves the highest awarded discount fromthe customer's list of available fuel discounts stored in the customer'saccount and applies it to the customer's fuel purchase.

Once the target manager 208 records a newly earned fuel discount in acustomer's record in the customer database 214, the target manager 208also must update the customer's record to reflect the fact that thecustomer's purchases have been used to award the fuel discount. Thus, ifa running total of the customer's purchases were used (such as overmultiple transactions), then the running total must be decremented bythe amount needed to award the fuel discount. This ensures that acustomer's purchases are only used once in calculating a fuel discount.

Also, if a customer's total purchases are such that multiple fueldiscounts can be awarded, the target manager 208 makes an entry in thecustomer's list of available fuel discounts for each occurrence of anearned fuel discount. For example, if the fuel discount is such that acustomer earns a $0.10 per gallon fuel discount for each $100 spent, andthe customer spends $220, then the target manager 208 makes two entriesin the customer's list of available fuel discounts, each for a $0.10fuel discount, as well as, decrements the customer's total purchases by$200.

FIG. 8 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of asecond type of fuel discount. In this embodiment, a customer receives atiered discount program such that there are multiple threshold levels(or tiers) of spending, with each spending tier earning a differentlevel of fuel discount. Thus, the tiered fuel discount system isachieved based on predefined thresholds wherein the more a customerspends, the higher the fuel discount he/she receives. In the preferredembodiment of an example of a tiered fuel discount system, there arethree tiers for spending. Tier 1 is when a customer spends a minimum of$30.00 in total, then he/she receives a tier 1 fuel discount of $0.03per gallon. Tier 2 is when a customer spends between $30.01 and amaximum threshold amount of $40.00, in which case he/she receives a$0.04 per gallon tier 2 fuel discount. Tier 3 is when a customer spendsbetween $40.01 and a maximum threshold of $50.00, such that he/shereceives a $0.05 per gallon tier 3 fuel discount. The present tieredfuel discount is described in terms of three tiers for conveniencepurposes only. It would be readily apparent to implement a comparabletiered fuel discount system having a different number of spending tierswith each tier having different threshold levels and different assignedfuel discounts.

Processing begins in step 802 wherein the target manager 208 receivesthe purchased products information. Processing continues to step 804wherein the total purchased amount is compared to a minimum thresholdamount for tier 1. If the target manager 208 determines that the minimumthreshold amount has not been reached by the customer spending,processing continues to step 816 wherein the fuel discount processing isterminated. Returning to step 804, if the target manager 208 determinesthat the threshold minimum amount has been reached, processing proceedsto step 806. Also, as discussed above, the determination of whether thecustomer has spent the minimum threshold level is calculated usingeither the customer's current transaction alone or an aggregate of alltransactions by the customer.

In step 806, the target manager 208 determines whether the customer'spurchase amount falls within the first tier of the fuel discount rewardssystem. That is, if the total purchase amount is less than or equal tothe tier 1 maximum threshold amount, then processing continues to step810. In step 810, the target manager 208 records the fuel discount fortier 1 spending, such as $0.03 per gallon, in the customer's record inthe customer database 214 with the customer's other earned fueldiscounts. The target manager 208 then updates the customer's record toreflect the use of the customer's purchased amount in awarding the tier1 fuel discount. The target manager 208 continues to step 816 whereinprocessing is terminated.

Returning to step 806, if the target manager 208 determines that thecustomer has spent greater than the tier 1 maximum threshold amount,processing continues to step 808. In step 808, the target manager 208determines whether the customer has spent an amount that falls withinthe second tier of the fuel discount reward system. Specifically, if thetotal purchased amount is less than or equal to the tier 2 maximumthreshold amount, then processing continues to step 812. In step 812,the target manager 208 records the awarded fuel discount for tier 2spending, such as $0.04 per gallon, in the customer's record in thecustomer database 214 in the list of the customer's other earned fueldiscounts. The target manager 208 then updates the customer's record toreflect the use of the customer's purchased amount in awarding the tier2 fuel discount. The target manager 208 continues to step 816 whereinprocessing is terminated.

Returning to step 808, if the target manager 208 determines that thecustomer has spent more than the tier 2 maximum threshold amount, thenprocessing continues to step 814. This is when the customer has spentthe equivalent of the tier 3 reward. The target manager 208 records thefuel discount associated with the tier 3 reward, such as $0.05 pergallon, in the customer's record in the customer database 214 in thelist of the customer's other earned fuel discounts. The target manager208 then updates the customer's record to reflect the use of thecustomer's purchased amount in awarding the tier 3 fuel discount. Thetarget manager 208 continues to step 816 wherein processing isterminated.

FIG. 9 is a operational flow diagram showing the calculation of a thirdtype of fuel discount. This fuel discount is based on the number ofpurchased products of a certain type. For example, if a customer buysten cereal products, such as ten boxes of cereal, the customer receivesa $0.02 per gallon discount. Thus, the customer qualifies for the fueldiscount based on the number of units of a specific product or producttype purchased, not on the number of dollars spent in the store.

Processing of this embodiment of a fuel discount starts at step 902wherein the target manager 208 receives the purchased productinformation. Processing continues to step 904. In step 904, the targetmanager 208 determines the number of products that the customerpurchased which are of a certain type. For example, the target manager208 determines how many boxes of a particular pasta brand or how manypackages of steak were purchased in the instant transaction. In thepreferred embodiment, the target manager 208 looks only at the instanttransaction when determining whether the customer earned a fuel discountin step 904, but this is for convenience. Alternatively, the targetmanager 208 may review multiple transactions to determine if thecustomer purchased the minimum number of products or types of productsto earn the fuel discount.

Continuing to step 906, the target manager 208 determines whether thatnumber of the certain purchased products is greater than or equal to aminimum threshold amount, such as 2 packages of steak. If the minimumthreshold has not been satisfied, processing continues to step 910,wherein the target manager 208 terminates the fuel discount processing.

Returning to step 906, if the target manager 208 determines that thenumber of certain purchased products does satisfy the minimum threshold,processing continues to step 908. In step 908, the awarded fuel discountis recorded in the customer database 214 for the instant customer in thelist of the customer's available earned fuel discounts. Processing thencontinues to step 910, wherein the target manager 208 terminates thefuel discount processing.

FIG. 10 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of afourth type of fuel discount. In this type of discount, the fueldiscount reward is based on the dollars spent on a certain type ofpurchased product. For example, if a customer buys $10.00 of GeneralMills cereal or $10.00 in the meat department, the customer receives a$0.02 per gallon fuel discount. Thus, the customer qualifies by spendingin selected product categories such as in a particular department (meat,dairy, etc) or sub-category of goods. The qualification may also bebased on a manufacturer code or a particular brand.

Processing begins at step 1002, wherein the target manager 208 receivesthe purchased product information. The target manager 208 continuesimmediately to step 1004. In step 1004, the target manager 208determines the amount of money purchased on a pre-defined certain typeof product. In the preferred embodiment, the target manager 208 looksonly at the instant transaction when determining whether the customerearned a fuel discount in step 1004, but this is for convenience.Alternatively, the target manager 208 may review multiple transactionsto determine if the customer spent the minimum amount on a specificproduct or type of product to earn the fuel discount.

Proceeding to step 1006, the target manager 208 determines whether theamount that the customer spent on the certain purchased products isgreater than or equal to a minimum threshold amount. If the minimumthreshold amount has not been satisfied, processing continues to step1010, wherein the target manager 208 terminates the fuel discountprocessing. Returning to step 1006, if the customer has met the minimumthreshold spending on certain purchased products, then processingcontinues to step 1008. In step 1008, the target manager 208 records theawarded fuel discount associated with that spending in the customerdatabase 212 in the customer's list of available fuel discounts. Oncethe fuel discount is recorded, processing continues to step 1010 wherebythe fuel discount processing is terminated.

FIG. 11 is an operational flow diagram showing the calculation of afifth type of fuel discount, whereby if a customer spends a total amountwithin a specified time period, then the customer gets the associatedfuel discount. Processing begins at step 1102 whereby the target manager208 receives the purchased product information. The target manager 208continues immediately to step 1104. In step 1104, the target manager 208determines whether the instant purchase was made within the select timeperiod for awarding the fuel discount. If the customer made the instantpurchase of the products outside of the select time period, processingcontinues immediately to step 1110, whereby the fuel discount processingis terminated.

Returning to step 1104, if the customer's purchase is within the selecttime period for awarding the fuel discount, processing continues to step1106. In step 1106, the target manager 208 adds the instant purchaseamount to the timed purchased product amount. The timed purchasedproduct amount is preferably a variable stored in the customer's accountrecord in the customer database 214. This allows the customer'spurchases to accumulate over time so long as each such purchase is madewithin the select time period. After the customer's new purchases areadded to the timed purchased product amount, processing continues tostep 1108, wherein the target manager 208 determines whether theaccumulated time purchased products is greater than or equal to theminimum threshold amount. If the minimum threshold amount is notsatisfied, then processing continues to step 1110, whereby once again,the fuel discount processing is terminated.

Returning back to step 1108, if the target manager 208 determines thatthe timed purchased product amount does meet the minimum thresholdamount, then processing continues to step 1112. In step 1112, the targetmanager 208 records the awarded fuel discount in the customer's recordin the customer database 214 in the list of the customer's availablefuel discounts. The target manager 208 also updates the customer'srecord by decrementing the timed purchased products amount by thatamount needed to award the fuel discount. This ensures that the customeronly benefits once from his/her purchases. After recording the discount,processing continues to step 1110, whereby the fuel discount processingis terminated.

FIGS. 12 and 13 provide operational flow diagrams for managing a giftcard for the purchase of fuel at a fuel center POS system 118. The giftcard processing is handled between the fuel center sales manager 224 andthe gift card payment handler 230. In particular, FIG. 12 is anoperational flow diagram showing a fuel center 110 which is presentedwith a gift card by a customer. Upon being presented with a gift card instep 1202, the fuel center sales manager 224 performs one of fivefunctions. Specifically, fuel center sales manager 224 responds to abalance inquiry 1204, reload operation 1212, activate card 1206, refundoperation 1210, or making a purchase of products or fuel (apoint-of-sale) 1208.

Returning to step 1202, the fuel center sales manager 224 reads a giftcard presented by the customer. If the gift card has not been activatedalready, the fuel center sales manager 224 proceeds to step 1206 whereit prompts the customer to activate the gift card with a specificamount. After the customer providing the amount he/she desires to put onthe gift card, processing continues to step 1214 wherein the fuel centersales manager 224 processes the customer payment. Similar to step 310,the fuel center sales manager 224 processes payment by cash, check, orcredit or bank card. After processing the customer's payment, the fuelcenter sales manager 224 proceeds to step 1216. In step 1216, the fuelcenter sales manager 224 communicates with the gift card payment handler230 and informs the gift card payment handler 230 about the activationof the new card. In particular, the fuel center sales manager 224provides the gift card account number and the gift amount. The gift cardpayment handler 230 records the activation of the gift card in the giftcard database 232 for the specified amount. Processing continues to step1218 and the gift card activity is terminated.

Returning to step 1202, if the customer informs the cashier at the fuelcenter 110 that he/she wants to inquire as to the balance on a giftcard, processing continues to step 1204. In step 1204, the fuel centersales manager 224 communicate with the gift card payment handler 230 andretrieves the balance on the card for the provided gift card account.The gift card payment handler 230 accesses the gift card database 232,retrieves the current balance on the presented gift card, and sends thatamount back to the fuel center sales manager 224, which in turn informsthe customer of the balance. Once the inquiry has been satisfied,processing continues to step 1218, wherein the gift card activity isterminated.

Returning to step 1202, if the customer informs the cashier at the fuelcenter 110 that he/she wants to reload or put additional funds on thegift card, processing continues to step 1212. In step 1212, the fuelcenter sales manager 224 prompts the customer for the amount ofadditional funds to put on the gift card. After the customer providesthe amount he/she desires to put on the gift card, processing continuesto step 1214 wherein the fuel center sales manager 224 processes thecustomer payment. Similar to step 310, the fuel center sales processespayment by cash, check, or credit or bank card. After processing thecustomer's payment, the fuel center sales manager 224 proceeds to step1216. In step 1216, the fuel center sales manager 224 communicates withthe gift card payment handler 230 and informs the gift card paymenthandler 230 about the additional funds loaded onto the present giftcard. In particular, the fuel center sales manager 224 provides the giftcard account number and the reload amount. The gift card payment handler230 records the reload amount for the gift card in the gift carddatabase 232 by adding the reload amount to the previous balance on thegiven gift card. Processing continues to step 1218 and the gift cardactivity is terminated.

Returning to step 1202, once the gift card is read and the customerinforms the cashier at the fuel center 110 that he/she wants a refund,such as a refund for returning specific items purchased previously atthe fuel center 110, and that the refund is to be placed on the giftcard, then processing continues to step 1210. In step 1210, the fuelcenter sales manager 224 processes the refund by conventional means.When the refund amount is calculated then processing continues to step1216 wherein the fuel center sales manager 224 reports the gift cardactivity. That is, the fuel center sales manager 224 communicates theamount of the refund to be added to the current gift card balance to thegift card payment handler 230. Upon receipt of gift card account and therefund amount, the gift card payment handler 230 accesses the gift carddatabase 232 and increases the amount on the corresponding gift card forthe current customer by the amount of the refund. Once the refund hasbeen completed, then processing continues to step 1218 where the giftcard activity is terminated.

Returning to step 1202, if a customer is purchasing products and/or fuelat the fuel center 110 and presents the gift card to be used as payment,then processing continues to step 1208. In step 1208, the fuel centersales manager 224 uses conventional methods to calculate the total sumowed by the customer for the purchased products and/or fuel. See FIG. 5.Once the total amount due is calculated, then the fuel sales manager 224communicates with the gift card payment handler 230 to determine howmuch funds are available on the gift card for payment of the purchasedproducts and/or fuel. The gift card payment handler 230 accesses thegift card database 232 to determine the balance on the present gift cardand returns that amount to the fuel center sales manager 224. Uponreceipt of the balance, the fuel center sales manager 224 calculates anyoutstanding amounts owed by the customer. That is, if the balance on thegift card is greater than or equal to the total sum owed, there is nooutstanding balance due by the customer. If the balance on the gift cardis less than the total sum owed, the outstanding balance is thedifference between the total sum owed and the gift card balance. Thefuel center sales manager 224 proceeds to step 1214 wherein it promptsthe customer to pay the outstanding balance, if any, and processes thecustomer's payment as described above. Processing continues to step1216. In step 1216, the fuel center sales manager 224 communicates withthe gift card payment handler 230 and informs the gift card paymenthandler 230 about the use of the current gift card. In particular, thefuel center sales manager 224 provides the gift card account number andthe amount used in the current transaction. The gift card paymenthandler 230 records use of the gift card funds by decrementing thecurrent balance by the amount used in the purchase of products and/orfuel. The updated balance is then stored in the gift card database 232.Once the use of the gift card is recorded, processing continues to step1218 wherein the gift card activity is terminated.

FIG. 13 is an operational flow diagram showing a pump 114 at a fuelcenter POS system 118 wherein a customer presents a gift card topurchase fuel at the pump 114. Processing starts at step 1302 wherein aconventional card reader at the pump 14 reads the gift card. Once thegift card is read by the pump handler 228 at the pump 114, the customerhas two options: to purchase fuel, such as in step 1304, or to inquireas to the balance on the gift card as in step 1306.

Returning to step 1302, if a customer wants to purchase fuel, processingcontinues to step 1304. In step 1304, the pump handler 228 calculatesthe amount owed for the desired amount of fuel being purchased in thesame manner as described above with respect to FIG. 4. Once the totalsale price is calculated and the customer presents the gift card to beused as payment, the pump handler 228 communicates with the gift cardpayment handler 230 via the fuel center sales manager 224 to determinehow much funds are available on the gift card for payment of thepurchased fuel. The gift card payment handler 230 accesses the gift carddatabase 232 to determine the balance on the present gift card andreturns that amount to the fuel center sales manager 224 which in turnforwards the gift card balance to the pump handler 228. Upon receipt ofthe balance, the pump handler 228 calculates any outstanding amountsowed by the customer. That is, if the balance on the gift card isgreater than or equal to the total sum owed for the fuel, there is nooutstanding balance due by the customer. If the balance on the gift cardis less than the total sum owed, the outstanding balance is thedifference between the total sum owed and the gift card balance. Thepump handler 228 proceeds to step 1308 wherein it prompts the customerto pay the outstanding balance, if any, and processes the customer'spayment as described above in step 310 on FIG. 4. Processing continuesto step 1310.

In step 1310, the pump handler 228 communicates with the gift cardpayment handler 230 through the fuel center sales manager 224 andinforms the gift card payment handler 230 about the use of the currentgift card. In particular, the pump handler 228 provides the gift cardaccount number and the amount used in the current transaction forpurchasing fuel. The gift card payment handler 230 records use of thegift card funds by decrementing the current balance by the amount usedin the purchase of products and/or fuel. The updated balance is thenstored in the gift card database 232. Once the use of the gift card isrecorded, processing continues to step 1312 wherein the gift cardactivity at the pump 114 is terminated.

Returning to step 1302, if the customer at the pump 114 selects abalance inquiry option such that he/she wants to inquire as to thebalance on the gift card, processing continues to step 1306. In step1306, the pump handler 228 communicate with the gift card paymenthandler 230 through the fuel center sales manager 224 and retrieves thebalance on the card for the provided gift card account. The gift cardpayment handler 230 accesses the gift card database 232, retrieves thecurrent balance on the presented gift card, and sends that amount backto the fuel center sales manager 222, which in turn forwards the currentbalance to the pump handler 228 which informs the customer at the pump114 on the balance. Once the inquiry has been satisfied, processingcontinues to step 1312, wherein the gift card activity is terminated.

Alternatively, the fuel center sales manager 224 handles all of theprocessing of a gift card for the pump handler 228. In this embodiment,the fuel center sales manager 224 communicates with the pump handler 228regarding account information for the customer's loyalty card, giftcard, and credit or debit card (if needed for an outstanding balance).Thus, the fuel center sales manager 224 simply returns an image of areceipt to the pump handler 228 for printing.

CONCLUSION

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by the wayof example only, and not limitation. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should notbe limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

1. A combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system, comprising:a first point-of-sale system comprising an in-store checkout center, atleast one checkout terminal in communication with said in-store checkoutcenter, one or more primary databases containing marketing data,consumer data, customer data, master sales data, discount data, andmerchandise product data, and a means for managing said primarydatabases, wherein said in-store checkout center is in communicationwith said primary databases by said means for managing; a secondpoint-of-sale system comprising a fuel center, at least one, fuel pumpin communication with said fuel center, at least one secondary databasecontaining fuel center data, said fuel center being in communicationwith said secondary database, and a means for connecting said firstpoint-of-sale system and said second point-of-sale system such that saidfuel center data of said second point-of-sale system is contained insaid primary databases; a means for generating a fuel discount based onfirst purchasing activity at said first point-of-sale system and secondpurchasing activity at said second point-of-sale system, wherein saidfuel discount is maintained in one of said primary databases; and ameans for applying said fuel discount to a purchase of a fuel product.2. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system accordingto claim 1, further comprising a means for identifying a customer atsaid checkout terminal, said fuel center, and said fuel pump.
 3. Thecombined in-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according toclaim 2, wherein said means for identifying a customer is a card readingdevice for entering customer identification and said card reading deviceis selected from the group consisting of: a bar code reader, a magneticstrip reader, and a digital image reader.
 4. The combined in-store andfuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein saidfirst purchasing activity at said first point-of-sale system and secondpurchasing activity at said second point-of-sale system are captured bysaid first point-of-sale system.
 5. The combined in-store and fuelcenter point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means forgenerating a fuel discount has a pre-defined minimum spending thresholdand an associated fuel discount, and said means for generating sets saidfuel discount as said associated fuel discount if said first purchasingactivity said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasingactivity plus said second purchasing activity is greater than saidpre-defined minimum spending threshold.
 6. The combined in-store andfuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein saidmeans for generating a fuel discount has a plurality of tiered fueldiscounts, each of said tiered fuel discounts having a pre-defined setof minimum and maximum spending thresholds and an associated fueldiscount, and said means for generating sets said fuel discount as saidassociated fuel discount that corresponds to said tiered fuel discountwithin which said first purchasing activity, said second purchasingactivity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasingactivity is between said minimum and maximum spending thresholds forsaid tiered fuel discount.
 7. The combined in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means forgenerating a fuel discount has a minimum unit threshold for apre-defined product type and an associated fuel discount, and said meansfor generating sets said fuel discount as said associated fuel discountif said first purchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, orsaid first purchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity isgreater than said pre-defined minimum unit threshold
 8. The combinedin-store and fuel center point-of-sale system according to claim 1,wherein said means for generating a fuel discount has a minimum spendingthreshold for a pre-defined product type and an associated fueldiscount, and said means for generating sets said fuel discount as saidassociated fuel discount if said first purchasing activity, said secondpurchasing activity or said first purchasing activity plus said secondpurchasing activity is greater than said minimum spending threshold fora pre-defined product type
 9. The combined in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said fuel discount ison a price per unit basis.
 10. The combined in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said fuel product isselected from the group consisting of gasoline, diesel, kerosene,natural gas, and petroleum.
 11. The combined in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said primary databasecontaining customer data is updated with information acquired from firstpurchasing activity and said second purchasing activity.
 12. Thecombined in store and fuel center point of sale system according toclaim 1, wherein said first purchasing activity comprises one or moreseparate transactions at said first point-of-sale system and said secondpurchasing activity comprises one or more transactions at said secondpoint-of-sale system.
 13. The combined in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale system according to claim 1, wherein said means forgenerating a fuel discount has a pre-defined minimum spending threshold,a pre-defined time period, and an associated fuel discount, and saidmeans for generating sets said fuel discount as said associated fueldiscount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasingactivity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasingactivity made within said time period is greater than said pre-definedminimum spending threshold
 14. The combined in-store and fuel centerpoint-of-sale system according to claim 1, further comprising a meansfor storing and managing a plurality of fuel discounts stored in one ofsaid primary databases, wherein each said fuel discount generated bysaid means for generating a fuel discount is stored in one of saidprimary databases as a separate fuel discount of said plurality of fueldiscounts, and said means for applying said fuel discount retrieves onesaid fuel discount from said plurality of fuel discounts in said primarydatabases.
 15. The combined in-store and fuel center point-of-salesystem according to claim 14, wherein said fuel discount retrieved fromsaid plurality of fuel discounts is the highest fuel discount of saidplurality of fuel discounts.
 16. A method for generating a fueldiscount, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a combined in-store andfuel center point-of-sale system having a first point-of-sale systemcomprising an in-store checkout center, at least one checkout terminalin communication with said in-store checkout center, one or more primarydatabases containing marketing data, consumer data, customer data,master sales data, discount data, and merchandise product data, and ameans for managing said primary databases, wherein said in-storecheckout center is in communication with said primary databases by saidmeans for managing, and a second point-of-sale system comprising a fuelcenter, at least one fuel pump in communication with said fuel center,at least one secondary database containing fuel center data, said fuelcenter being in communication with said secondary database; (b)connecting said first point-of-sale system and said second point-of-salesystem such that said fuel center data of said second point-of-salesystem is contained in said primary databases; (c) generating a fueldiscount based on first purchasing activity at said first point-of-salesystem and second purchasing activity at said second point-of-salesystem, wherein said fuel discount is maintained in one of said primarydatabases; and (d) applying said fuel discount to a purchase of a fuelproduct at said second point-of-sale system.
 17. The method forgenerating a fuel discount according to claim 16, wherein saidgenerating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined fueldiscount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasingactivity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasingactivity is greater than a pre-defined minimum spending threshold. 18.The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, whereinsaid generating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined fueldiscount associated with one of a plurality of tiered fuel discounts,wherein said pre-defined fuel discount corresponds to said tiered fueldiscount within which said first purchasing activity, said secondpurchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plus said secondpurchasing activity is between a minimum and maximum spending thresholdsfor said tiered fuel discount.
 19. The method for generating a fueldiscount according to claim 16, wherein said generating step (c) setssaid fuel discount to a pre-defined fuel discount if said firstpurchasing activity, said second purchasing activity, or said firstpurchasing activity plus said second purchasing activity is greater thana pre-defined minimum unit threshold for a pre-defined product type. 20.The method for generating a fuel discount according to claim 16, whereinsaid generating step (c) sets said fuel discount to a pre-defined fueldiscount if said first purchasing activity, said second purchasingactivity, or said first purchasing activity plus said second purchasingactivity is greater than a pre-defined minimum spending threshold for apre-defined product type.
 21. The method for generating a fuel discountaccording to claim 16, wherein said generating step (c) sets said fueldiscount to a pre-defined discount if said first purchasing activity,said second purchasing activity, or said first purchasing activity plussaid second purchasing activity made within a time period is greaterthan a pre-defined minimum spending threshold.
 22. The method forgenerating a fuel discount according to claim 16, further comprising thestep of: (e) storing said fuel discount as one of a plurality of fueldiscounts.
 23. The method for generating a fuel discount according toclaim 22, wherein said step (d) applies a highest fuel discount of saidplurality of fuel discounts.